BF Kitchen Elementary
I left Texas in the spring and felt like I traveled back in time to the dead of winter when I arrived in Loveland, Colorado! Even though, I arrived in the middle of a snow storm, I had a warm welcome from the students and faculty at BF Kitchen Elementary. There was a lovely banner for me in the library and Mrs. Askham had tons of cool bookmarks for me to sign. During both shows, I received many insightful questions and discovered that there were many young writers in the school–keep writing, Eli!
Thanks to Mrs. Askham for the use of the library and to Mr. Blick for helping set up for my show. A big thanks to Mrs. Endres for inviting me and a super-big thanks to all the great students at BFK!
Ponderosa Elementary
After lunch with Mrs. Endres, I zipped over to Ponderosa Elementary–home of the Pandas! I gave two shows to a packed gym then got a chance to answer even more questions from Mrs. Midgett’s class. Not only did they have some great questions about writing but also about special effects, too!
Thanks to Mr. King for helping me set up and for all his support through some technical difficulties. Thanks to Mrs. Midgett for inviting me and for letting me spend some extra time with her class–I hope you enjoy the King Julien book. Don’t let Mrs. Midgett keep it all to herself!
Family Literacy Night
My day didn’t end there, after a quick trip to the hotel to freshen up, I zipped over to Namaqua Elementary for the district’s Family Literacy Night. There I put on my show for parents and students alike. I made sure the kids moved down to the front row because the show is really for them (even though I think the parents were eavesdropping).
After my show, I signed some books and gave a brief workshop to some students who seemed eager to learn about writing. I’m glad you got a chance to look at my TV and movie scripts up close and I hope you keep reading AND writing!
Thanks to all the Literacy board (Jessica, Pam, Barb, Barb, and Connie) for inviting me and for a lovely dinner the night before. Thanks to Mr. Beuke for the use of his school and a big thanks to all the kids and parents who braved a snowy night to see my show.
Stansberry Elementary http://www.stansberryelementary.org
My final day in this winter wonderland found me at Stansberry Elementary. I was a little late because I forgot to allow time to de-ice my car (did I mentioned that I came from 85º weather?). When I did arrive, I was delighted to see that everyone had dressed up for my appearance. But then I found out that it was school picture day instead. Still, I had a fun time giving two presentations. I went without the mic for the first show. But after my voice squeaked on the higher notes, I opted for a little help front the PA system during the second show. All those presentations and cold weather really add up.
Thanks to Mrs. McGee for having me out and to Mr. Blee for helping me set up (don’t worry; no one touched the screen). And a super-dee-duper thanks (as Barney would say) to all the smartly-dressed students of Stansberry Elementary!
And another big thanks to the Literacy board for inviting me to Colorado! Unfortunately, my drive out looked a lot like my drive in. I hear that you have some beautiful mountains around here someplace. I can’t wait to come back so I can catch a glimpse of them!
When I arrived at Nebbie Williams Elementary in Rockwall, TX, I was pleasantly surprised to see a big welcome banner signed by every student in the school. What a great way to begin the day!
Then, after two of my presentations, I got to eat lunch with the library book club. We had a great time, discussed books, and even talked about some of the students’ own writings. I finished off the school day with a presentation to the energetic 4th and 5th graders. Thanks to Mrs. Dyer, you can see more pictures from the day and even chime in on the library’s cool FACEBOOK PAGE!
That evening, I was pleased to participate in the PTA’s career night. I was one of many speakers that night and I think everyone learned that there are tons of cool jobs out there—more than you think. In fact, I’m still finding out about different jobs and careers. Keep looking, and you’ll discover the right one for you!
Thanks to Mrs. Jamshidi and Mrs. Elliot for helping me get all set up. Thanks to Mrs. Delgleiz for the delicious lunch. Thanks to Mrs. Dyer and the Nebbie Williams PTA for inviting me, being wonderful hosts, and for the gifts. And a big thanks to a the great kids at Nebbie Elementary. Keep reading and keep coming up with those exciting stories!
Today was exciting, jam-packed day at Beachside Montessori Village in Hollywood, Florida! When I first arrived, I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with all the great teachers. Then I met Mrs. Griffith’s TV crew and was featured in a short segment on the school’s morning TV show.
I got to do a couple of presentations and everyone was extremely energetic. I even held some writing workshops with several grade levels–the winners of a contest where the students had to write letters explaining why they wanted to meet me and what they wanted to learn about writing. I got to eat lunch with different students who wrote similar letters. What a great way to really get to know the future writers of BMV!
Thanks to Mrs. Gray and Mrs. Rodriguez for all the help throughout the day. Thanks to Mrs. Wyda for inviting me. Thanks to Mrs. Gray’s class for all the wonderful thank you letters. And a super big thanks to all the students at BMV! You made my latest Florida trip one to remember!
Today I enjoyed visiting two fun schools right on the military base of Fort Hood, TX! In the morning, I visited Oveta Culp Hobby Elementary – home of the Patriots. And you know what? The Patriots were my elementary school’s mascot in Brownsville, TX — the Russel Patriots!
After Mrs. Coffield picked me up at the base’s visitor center, I set up and performed two shows in her huge library; the kids were packed all the way to the back. Now, during every show, I asked the students how many of them enjoy writing their own stories. I know that not everyone wants to be a writer when they grow up but I was pleasantly surprised just how many kids raised their hands at this school. I think it was the most I’ve seen so far. I hope all the teachers there like to read because there are going to be tons of young writers coming out of Oveta Culp Hobby Elementary!
Thanks to Mrs. Colffield for inviting me and thanks to Mrs. Buller for all her help. And a big thanks to the Oveta Culp Hobby Patriots! Keep reading and keep writing those stories!
After my morning shows and lunch, Mrs. Coffield drove me over to Duncan Elementary (also on base) and home of the Duncan Dragons! They were very excited to see me and I haven’t enjoyed such an energetic group of students in a long time—both shows!
All the students were set up in chairs in the cafeteria, with a big center aisle for me to run down and generally be silly. The kids had so many great questions that I wish I could’ve answered them all. But like I said, if I didn’t get to you, have your parents help you email me any question you like!
Thanks to Mrs. Barr for the warm welcome (and for the ride back to the gate), thanks to Mr. Cooper for helping with all the technical support, setting up for my show, and a big thanks to all the boisterous Duncan Dragon. You really know how to make that dragon roar!
Thursday, I made it up to McAuliffe Elementary in Highland Village, TX. I performed three shows in front of three huge crowds of excited students. Fortunately for me, Mrs. Theibaud’s library was big enough to hold them all!
Many of the McAuliffe teachers did their own homework beforehand and scoured my website, discovering all kinds of information about me and what I do. Many found out that I collect hats and one learned that my friends call me “Ant” (short for Anthony and NOT because I can lift 20 times my own body weight). I didn’t get the teacher’s name, but thanks to her, her entire class had a wonderful surprise for me–all of them wore Ant hats in my honor! Add that to all the other cool hats that many of the kids wore and it was a very warm welcome indeed!
Thanks to Mrs. Shaughnessy and the MaAuliffe PTA for inviting me to visit. Thanks to Mrs. Theibaud for the use of her library and for moving all the shelves to make room for those huge audiences. And a special thanks to all those huge audiences themselves, the wonderful students of McAuliffe Elementary. I hope you enjoyed all those books I signed for you!
I finished this week at the Westwood-Bales School in Friendswood, Texas. Since both elementary and intermediate schools share a common campus and many resources, I was lucky enough to meet students from both schools! I gave three shows in the cafeteria, signed a few books in the library, and visited several classrooms where students got a second chance to ask me all kinds of questions about writing, reading, and Special FX!
Thanks to Mr. Lee and Mr. Fred for helping me set up and for their expert table-arranging. Thanks to Mrs. Beltz for taking pictures. Thanks to Mrs. Cain for inviting and for showing me around. Thanks to the PTA for such a tasty lunch and a big thanks to all the terrific 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Westwood-Bales! You were a fun way to end the week!
I just finished my second Literacy night at James Williams Elementary and this was the biggest crowd yet. Both nights, students donned their pajamas and brought their pillows and blankets (and parents) to snuggle up on the gym floor and watch my show. Afterward, I signed a ton of books and even got to see Principal Lee sporting his Spider-man PJs! I hope everyone remembered to check me off their Golden Ticket checklist. If students attend certain events and read certain books, they get to draw a candy bar that may have a golden ticket inside–just like in that wonderful book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Good luck, everyone!
Thanks Mrs. Datt and Mrs. Cary for all the help setting up. Thanks to Revea, Billy, and Ms. Lane for taking pictures. And a big thanks to Mrs. Spier for inviting me down to Katy, Texas! As you can see from the photo above, I had a great time with all the faculty, parents, and wonderful Williams Wranglers!
I enjoyed a fun day at WoodCreek Elementary in Katy, Texas! After pulling into my own personal parking spot, I rolled inside to meet some very energetic students–the WoodCreek Forest Rangers! I performed three shows and signed a ton of books in the library. I had a great view signing books as I sat across from the WoodCreek library’s very own log cabin. I hope all the WoodCreek Rangers enjoy reading my books. And when your’e done with those, keep reading other authors’ books, too!
Thanks to Mrs. Wallace and Mr. Pebbles for all the help setting up and thanks to Mrs. Lee for having me out and for a tasty lunch. I was happy to meet her husband, Mr. Lee, principal of Williams Elementary, where I’ll visit tomorrow night for their Literacy Night pajama party.
This snowy morning I drove the rental car down an icy highway to Blanco Elementary in Bloomfield, New Mexico. It’s a good thing I made it (couldn’t miss pizza day in the cafeteria). Between two fun shows in front of lively audiences, I had the chance to sign three of my Wishbone books, including the very first book I ever wrote, Digging to the Center of the Earth. I hope all the Blanco Elementary students enjoy reading them as well as all the other Wishbone adventures and mysteries they have in the library. I was even told by the librarian, Mrs. Pinto, that she’s going to show one of the TV episodes I co-wrote, War of the Noses. Available on Youtube HERE!
Thanks to Mr. Flores, Mrs. Travis, and Principal Marquez for helping me set up. Thanks to Mrs. Travis for inviting me and a big Texas thank you to all the cool kids at Blanco Elementary!
